The Queen Swanwhite
by Star Fata
Summary: Even the Huntsman had heard tales of Swanwhite, the hero who had ended the Great Winter. She was said to be beautiful, mysterious and possessing powerful magical abilities. The tales paled in comparison to the real Queen Swanwhite.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ouat belongs to ABC. The idea of Queen Swanwhite, and a chunk of the first paragraph, was taken from The Last Battle in the Chronicles of Narnia Series by CS Lewis.

* * *

Even the Huntsman had heard tales of the Queen Swanwhite, the woman who had ended the Great Winter of Arendellle. She was said to be so beautiful that when she looked into any forest pool the reflection of her face shone out of the water like a star by night for a year and a day afterwards- and thus wore a mask to hide her beauty.

Some said she was a Siren who had lost her dwelling, and so sought the ice palace of Arendelle to replace it. Other said that she was a Star who had taken pity on the frozen populace and come down from the heavens to release them. There were more rumours than there were leaves in a forest, but only a few known facts.

Before her coronation, Swanwhite had been known only as the Lady Swan.

And since her coronation, Swanwhite could always be seen wearing white, and was never without a capelet of white feathers to cover her décolletage, or a mask to hide her features.

A surprising number of tales had made their way to his ears; the new Queen of Arendelle was a subject everyone was talking about, even two years after her coronation. His own status as a prisoner and servant of the Evil Queen Regina simply meant he was in a position to hear more of them than he had previously.

All the tales paled in comparison to the real Queen Swanwhite.

She stood in front of Regina's throne, her head held high and her hands by her side. Her golden hair tumbled down her back in waves and curls, held back from her face by a crown of silver and crystal. Her famed Masquerade mask was crafted to match, silver and white with feathers fanning out to hide even more of her face.

"Queen Regina." She greeted, neutrally. "You have received our message?"

Regina smirked down at the famed White Queen from her throne, disguised as a courteous smile. "Certainly, Queen Swanwhite. But I fail to see where either of us benefit from such a deal. If you could, perhaps enlighten me?"

Regina was up to something; that much was obvious. The Huntman hoped that the Queen Swanwhite was up to the challenge.

"We desire to learn of woodcraft." The Queen Swanwhite stated, tilting her head slightly. "And we wish for the best teacher. And in exchange, we would give you an heir of royal blood. The son of King George sired many children, the youngest are almost a year old now. You could have an heir to mould and shape as your own child, without taking a husband."

Regina leaned forward. "And what interest should I have in Snow White's stepchildren? Or, for that matter, in heirs?"

Queen Swanwhite straightened. "A Queen must have an heir. And I said nothing of Snow White's husband, only King George's son, killed after earning the Quest to slay the Dragon attacking Midas's kingdom."

Regina stared in blatant shock. "You lie. Prince James is alive, and one of the leaders of Snow's rebellion against me. Their wedding is in a month's time."

Queen Swanwhite shrugged, almost carelessly. "The Queen Arianell was cursed with barreness. The first Prince James was procured in a deal with the Dark One, and his twin in a second deal to take his brother's place and slay the dragon. You know yourself Majesty, how desperate King George is for gold. Ever since your deal with the Imp to cut off relations with his Kingdom, the treasury has been half a breath from bankruptcy. They have more debts than gold to pay them."

Regina was visibly surprised- and angry. "No one knows of that deal except for the two who made it. Who are you?"

The other Queen curtseyed shallowly- almost mockingly. "Queen Swanwhite of Arendelle, your majesty. Sometimes known as the White Witch of Arendelle."

Regina stiffened slightly- the name was familiar to her. The Huntsman racked his brain, but he had never heard that name.

"I will leave you now to consider my offer, your majesty." Queen Swanwhite declared. "And I shall return tomorrow."

The Evil Queen smiled falsely. "My Huntsman will escort you to the gates, Swanwhite."

At the insult, the neglect of her title in front of inferiors, Queen Swanwhite smiled back- a predatory delight that let the Huntsman know that the Evil Queen had mistepped.

"Thank you, Regina." Queen Swanwhite intoned, curtseying once more in goodbye. She took the Huntsman's arm as he approached, as if he were of equal standing to her, of nobility.

The walk through Regina's halls was quiet at first, as they passed from the throne room through the main hallway that lead to the courtyard.

It wasn't until they were outside that she spoke. "Would you be willing to teach, if the Queen agrees?"

"I have never taught anyone." He deferred, unwilling to disclose that he would have no choice. The Queen could control his very thoughts with a whisper into a box, if she wanted him to teach, he would teach.

"It's difficult, but rewarding." Queen Swanwhite told him. "And your student would be young and eager to learn."

"I thought you wanted to learn." Huntsman questioned. "Would you not be my student?"

"I do want to learn- the realm I grew up in didn't have such wondrous forests- or such dangerous ones. But between the ruling I can't dump on my Steward and the lessons I can't afford to do without, I wouldn't be able to for quite some time." She looked genuinely disappointed in this. "Your student would be my son, Henry. He's almost seven now."

The Huntsman was surprised. "I didn't know you had a son."

"It isn't well known outside Arendelle. After all, I've never had a husband." Queen Swanwhite told him, matter of fact. She smiled mischievously at his widened eyes. "Keep it quiet?" She asked, still in a teasing tone.

"You have my word, your majesty. For as long as it is in my power to do so." The Huntsman informed her, deadly serious.

A softer smile, almost affectionate, replaced her cheeky grin. "Thank you, Huntsman." She curtseyed to him, a shallow dip compared to the one she had offered Regina, but more than a mere guard would usually have received. He watched her rejoin her entourage from inside the gates, turning to head back inside after the door to her carriage swung shut.

And thus, he didn't see her look out of her window, watching him walk away.

"Our reason for being here may be more valid than first thought." She confided to her companion.

The icy blonde looked up from her history book, one eyebrow raised. "Oh?"

Queen Swanwhite grinned at her.

"Oh."

Queen Swanwhite returned the next day, as promised. Once again, she stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the dais where the Evil Queen practically lounged on the throne, a silent declaration of the contempt she held her visitor in.

Queen Swanwhite curtseyed again. "Have you considered our offer, Queen Regina?"

Regina didn't bother hiding her derision. "I have no need for a crying baby in my castle. Your offer holds no interest to me. I'm sure you can find another teacher to frolic in the woods with."

Queen Swanwhite moved back into a standing position. "If you have no need of heirs, perhaps an apprentice? Young children with magic are more difficult to find, but finding people is a particular talent of our line. An older child, capable of caring for itself for the most part, would not be such an impediment to your life, surely."

"And could you find such a child?" Regina scoffed. "A child, with magic?"

"There have been such before. Zelena of Oz summoned a tornado when her mother Cora abandoned her in the woods, and served as the Guardian of the West before she chose to be the Wicked Witch." Queen Swanwhite informed her. "There may not be a child as powerful as she was, but we guarantee you, your highness, there will be a child with power."

"Oz is just a pretty little story told to peasant children." Regina replied contemptuously.

"As is Wonderland." Queen Swanwhite pointed out. "And Neverland. There are many realms besides our own, your Majesty. You can question the Dark One if you wish, he had the pleasure of teaching Zelena when she was young. Or the Realm Jumper Jefferson, if he can be found. He may have heard of Oz during his travels."

Regina relaxed slightly- clearly the fact that her rival Queen was not omnipotent was reassuring. Jefferson was lost to Wonderland, and to the mercy of the Queen of Hearts- Regina's own mother, Cora.

Once again, Queen Swanwhite declared her intention to leave the Evil Queen to think on her offer, and to return the next day. As before, Regina ordered the Huntsman to escort her out.

Once they were free of the walls, Queen Swanwhite smiled at the Huntsman. "How do you think you'd cope, with a magical child running riot around a castle?"

"If the deal were made, your majesty, then I wouldn't be here to see it." He replied. "Unless you mean a different castle to this one."

Her smile brightened. "Observant, aren't you? An excellent trait for a Huntsman."

The Huntsman blushed at her teasing tone. "Thank you, your majesty." He half mumbled.

"I meant no harm." Queen Swanwhite soothed. "You were right. Our castle in Arendelle serves partly as a school for such children, allowing them to gain control over their gifts. Some, like myself, were born of True Love, and have magic in their very being. Others have been exposed to magical artefacts that imprinted magic into their veins. For some, such as my son Henry, magic simply runs in the family. The Great Winter awoke many magical talents that adults and children alike have difficulty with."

"Such as?" The Huntsman asked, curious. He added the titbit about her son being magic to the fact she had a son as a secret to keep.

The Queen Swanwhite scrunched up her nose in distaste. "One young lady has found that the local ghost population is very opinionated about my coronation. And the renewal of Arendelle. And the world in general. It turns out that ghosts are very talkative once they find someone who can listen. Another girl turns into a mermaid when she gets wet. There is now a boy who glows different colours according to his mood, and his best friend can't even hum without everyone around him bursting into song."

"Song?" The Huntsman repeated incredulously.

Queen Swanwhite nodded. "The entire castle once sang a song about how irritating it was to learn about the world again. We were actually quite good."

She curtseyed to him at the Gates.

"Farewell your majesty." The Huntsman bowed.

Queen Swanwhite smiled at him again. "Please, my title is Swanwhite. Feel free to use it, Huntsman."

He stared at her in shock as she moved to her carriage, and this time he was the one watching her leave.

For the third day in a row, Swanwhite entered the throne room and stared up to Regina on her throne. "Have you considered our offer, your majesty?"

"You offered to find me an apprentice, in exchange for my Huntsman, the most able guard in my service." Regina snorted. "Whatever would I do with one of those? I have better things to do than teach an empty headed brat all I know."

Swanwhite's lips quirked minutely. "Few masters have ever taught their apprentice _all _that they know. The Dark One never taught you to spin straw to gold, not after what happened the last time he taught someone. Your mother was supposed to run away with him after she escaped King Xavier, not stay and pretend to be a wife and mother."

Regina glared openly. "There is nothing I want from you. Leave."

The woman in white stared for a very long moment, and turned her head slightly. "How about a truth of the past? I could give you memories to share with young Snow that would shatter all her illusions about her beloved and benevolent parents."

She was stalling. The Huntsman wondered why, but it didn't really matter. It was working.

"Such as?" Regina sneered.

"The reasons that your mother hated Queen Eva. And how Leopold was once engaged to a young Miller's daughter." Swanwhite answered, moving her hand to swirl the air in front of her. It coalesced into a ball of light, in which he could vaguely see figures moving. Regina clearly recognised one of the figures, her eyes intent on the glowing sphere. Swanwhite dismissed it with a flick of her hand.

"I will return in the morning, your Highness." Swanwhite declared, this time walking out without any of the usual pleasantries.

Regina waved her hand, and the Huntsman followed after her.

For the third day in a row, she slid her arm through his. For the first time, she reached to clasp his hand in her own.

"Are there any truths in your past you'd like to find?" She asked, almost idly as they stepped out the door.

He shook his head. "I know all I need to know about my past. Most of the questions I have would need to be asked to people in the present."

"Unanswered questions are a heavy burden." Swanwhite murmured. "That's why I used a Mirror to see into the past- I wanted to know my history. Why my parents abandoned me in the middle of nowhere. Is there any way I can answer yours?"

The Huntsman felt a swell of empathy- he'd often wondered the same thing, when he was free. Now, his questions were for the present, not the past. "I want to know why the Queen's freedom was more important than ours." He told her. "And the only people who can answer that are Snow White and her Prince."

Swanwhite turned to him, her mouth set in a firm line. "That." She began. "Is a question I myself would like to ask. Perhaps they would even have an answer."

The rest of their walk was silent, until she curtseyed to him at the end of the courtyard.

"See you tomorrow, Huntsman." She said.

Blinking at the odd phrasing, the Huntsman hurriedly bowed back. "And you, Swanwhite."

She shot a grin over her shoulder as she moved towards the now-familiar carriage. "I was known by Swan since I was a babe. Please, feel free to use it."

He chuckled to himself, turning away as the carriage began to move.

On the fourth day, the visiting Queen swanned into the throne room like she owned it, a sense of impatient glee about her. Thankfully, the Evil Queen was staring out the window feigning boredom, and thus missed the warning signs.

By the time Regina deigned to look at her guest, Swan had dropped into the proper curtsey.

"Have you considered our offer?" She asked. She neglected the usual title.

Regina raised an eyebrow in disdain. "I have. And once again, your offer is useless. Those so-called memories of yours could easily be faked, and even if they aren't, Snow and her band of merry rebels would never believe them. Now, Swanwhite. A warning. If you ever ask for my Huntsman again, ever bother me with a ridiculous bargain that would prove more trouble than it's worth, and I'll kill him. It'd be worth it to be rid of you."

Swan smiled, her former amusement vanished with the Evil Queen's last words. It was a cold smile, like sword steel and fang, the Huntsman mused. He couldn't wait to see what it meant.

"I have one final offer for you, Regina. One, and then I shall never cross your path again." She stated.

"Fine." Regina snapped. "Say it, then get the hell out of my palace."

"Amnesty. I offer you amnesty from your crimes if you agree to have your powers bound by white magic." Swan said.

Regina didn't even pretend to consider it, standing at her full height. A fireball appeared in her hand. "Get out." She demanded.

A white glow appeared from Swan, radiating throughout the room. Regina threw the fire, and the Huntsman yelled in horror- only for the fire to vanish before it could get within metres of Swanwhite.

That was when Regina turned to ice.

The other guards were thrown back against the walls, knocked unconscious more by the magic than the force, if the Huntsman was any judge.

Swan smiled at him, as another blonde woman stepped into view from behind Regina's throne.

"Would you like to know a secret, Huntsman?" Swan enquired, a jubilant grin on her face.

"Another one, my Lady?" The Huntsman asked, somewhat bemusedly as he surveyed the throne room.

Swan laughed, even as white clad soldiers streamed in from the courtyard, taking the stairs to various other parts of the castle.

"This was our plan from the beginning." Swan confessed gleefully. "Now, you mentioned an 'our freedom' yesterday. I don't suppose you'd care to show us where the other hostages are? We already found her Heart Collection."

The Huntsman stared in shock, his mouth gaping open. Eventually, he managed to nod and began to lead a few soldiers to the dungeons.

The day passed in a blur, and the next thing he knew was Swan ushering him and Belle into a carriage that contained the blue-clad blonde from earlier.

Swan spoke as she moved to take off her mask. "Elsa. How long will it be until our host defrosts?"

"Another week at least, barring an act of true love. The state of her heart, it'll probably be closer to a month." Elsa answered, writing something in a journal. "All known prisoners accounted for, and quite a few surprises. All magical items we could find are packed, except for those we were uncertain of. Those are smashed. We also took a few items that probably belonged to the original royal family- nothing much. She probably destroyed most of them herself."

"A good haul then." Swan mused out loud, eyes shining. She was even more beautiful without the mask, if far less ethereal seeming.

"Careful Queen Regent, your inner thief is showing." Elsa warned.

The Huntsman and Belle exchanged a glance. "Queen Regent?" They chorused.

Elsa was the one to answer. "Yes. I was technically Queen Regnant after my coronation, but the Great Winter was only a few months after. After this one managed to thaw us out, we decided I would focus on learning about my powers, and she would be the official Queen."

"I tried to dump it on her sister, but Anna liked the idea even less than I did." Swan interrupted.

Elsa smirked at her. "It's your own fault you know; you can't just go off being heroic without expecting there to be consequences."

Swan rolled her eyes, now attempting to get her crown out of her hair without the use of a looking glass. Elsa heaved a sigh that seemed to say that she had seen this so often she couldn't be bothered anymore, and then stood to help her Regent free herself from the crystal crown.

"Didn't you say you had a steward, your majesty?" The Huntsman asked, remembering their conversation days passed. He didn't often deal with royalty, but he seemed to remember that stewards were technically regents, if for shorter periods of time.

"That would be me." Elsa answered, frowning at the crown as she detached a few golden hairs. "Emma didn't know the first thing about being royalty, so we're essentially both Rulers of the Kingdom. My sister Anna is technically the city Governor. She's also been the back-up Steward, so don't be surprised if a young woman attacks us when we stop."

"It's only been a week." Swan muttered, rubbing at her scalp. "And please Huntsman, my name is Emma Swan. Please use one of them. I hate this 'majesty' business."

Elsa snorted.

"Stop?" Belle questioned. "But surely we won't be making the journey all at once, Arendelle is at least four days away with so much weight for the horses to carry."

Finally free of the crown, Emma Swan grinned at the Princess of Avonlea. "That's why we've got magic. I'm surprised you don't have more questions Princess, everything I've heard of you says you're too curious for your own good."

Belle blinked. "Perhaps I'm trying to choose which ones to ask. You've heard of me?"

"The Dark One's maid in exchange for your fiefdom's freedom from the Ogres." Emma nodded. "You look just like the painting Sir Maurice has in his hall. He mourns you."

"Papa thinks I'm dead?" Belle cried in dismay.

Elsa shook her head. "No, he thinks you're still in the Dark Castle. I must admit we were surprised to find you in the Dark Palace, but that's probably a tale for another time. Is there anything that either of you want to ask, before we go to Arendelle?"

"Why Arendelle?" The Huntsman began. "Why can we not simply return to our homes?"

Emma leaned forward. "First of all Huntsman, it's easier to just take everyone to one place for treatment and housing. Not everyone's homes will have survived their imprisonment. Secondly, it's to avoid any of Regina's allies swooping in to either grab the loot or avenge her. There are a few who would do that, if not try to save her. And finally, we want to make sure all of her prisoners have their hearts before we help them get home. Although, everyone is welcome to stay as long as they wish, you and your brother included."

The Huntsman opened his mouth to protest, but faltered. He licked his lips. "My brother?"

Emma nodded. "He's the one who lead us to you. Arendelle's Master of Ice can talk to pretty much anything on four legs. Kristoff met your brother during his honeymoon, and found out what had happened to you. I'm sorry it took us so long to get everything in place, but we only had one shot at this."

"This being?" Belle broke in.

"The freedom of all her prisoners." Elsa spoke, settling back into her seat. "We checked the other guards, but Huntsman was the only one coerced with magic. If the others were being blackmailed, they'll have their chance to escape Regina now while she's frozen. It's up to them now."

Emma nodded sadly, twisting her hands in her lap. It appeared to be an anxious habit, if not for the white light glowing between her palms.

Once again, Belle and the Huntsman found themselves exchanging wide eyes glances. Emma Swan threw her hands in the air, and the world turned white. When the whiteness receded, Elsa reached for the door and stepped out.

"Welcome to Arendelle."


	2. Chapter 2

The Huntman settled into Arendelle surprisingly well- with help from a few people particular. One was Arendelle's Master of Ice, Kristoff, the husband of the former Princess Anna. He had had difficulty adjusting to the palace life as well, having grown up in the woods with his reindeer Sven and the local trolls.

Kristoff had been helpful- but the Huntsman found he was already mostly adjusted to Palace life from his years with the Evil Queen. It was the freedom that got to him the most.

Belle understood that all too well. She had sequestered herself in the Palace library at first, coming out as infrequently as possible.

"It's almost like the library Rumple gave me." She confided to him. "In here, I sort of feel like my time in the dungeons was all a bad dream."

Slowly, she had familiarized herself with the library. Her dreams of adventure had long since fled, and now she longed for familiar things. Books, libraries and stories were all things she'd held dear, even as a child.

It didn't take long for the other castle occupants to notice this, as the initial work to get the refugees seen to subsided into a routine. Anna had been the one to think of a way to help Belle adjust to living in a community again- by offering her a job as the official librarian for the school.

"What?" Belle had spluttered. "What school?"

Anna grinned unrepentantly. "Wow, I guess you haven't heard about it. We kind of run a school for magic here, although we're still working out the basics. There's been a lot of magic popping out of the woodwork since we thawed out. The school is out for what the Queen calls 'Summer Vacation', but we're going to be starting up again next week. If you want to stay for a while, you may as well have something to do."

Belle had protested at first, not being sure what the librarian for a school for magic was supposed to do, but she acquiesced in the end. It was good for her, having something to do and contributing to life in the city.

The Queen Swanwhite stopped by as often as she could to see how her guests were settling in, but she and her steward were busy sorting out the refugees who wanted to leave immediately- one a woodcutter whose children were banished to the Infinite Woods. That, restoring hearts to the prisoner's without, and keeping up the running of the Kingdom took up too much time for her to stop by as often as she wished.

Instead, she took to sending her son- Henry.

"Hi Mister Wolf! Good morning Mister Huntsman!" The young boy greeted, cheerfully turning a title into a name. "Do you want to meet the trolls? See the Ice Palace? It's totally safe once you're up, it's just the journey that's tough."

"Maybe another day Henry." The Huntsman smiled. "It smells like rain, and we don't want you getting sick. Anything else you feel like doing?"

He listened carefully as Henry enthusiastically began detailing the adventures they could have in the Palace, between the ice rink in an old gallery, a bicycle ride through the halls, or helping Belle in the library. Every day the boy would show up and plan a grand adventure for the Huntsman and his brother to share in- sometimes dragging other people in as the day went on. At first, he'd thought it was just Emma's way of checking in on the Heartless Huntsman.

Then, he realized that Henry was lonely. His family were all so busy with Regina's former prisoners and state business, his friends were usually busy at home, and he was too young to go out exploring himself. In sending Henry to him, Emma ensured that Henry had someone looking after him, while also making sure that the Huntsman had help adjusting to Arendelle.

"How about we go to the Stables?" The Huntsman picked. "And then the library after lunch."

"Cool!" Henry grinned widely. "I'm sure, today's the day we find you a first name Mister Huntsman."

The Huntsman laughed- Henry had decided his 'top-secret-mission-to-help-Mister-Huntsman-get-used-to-Arendelle' included getting him a proper name. This wouldn't be the first afternoon spent trawling through books in the library for 'the perfect name'.

"Sounds good to me Henry." He agreed amicably. "But I think we'll have to go without my brother."

Henry looked around for the wolf, just noticing he'd vanished. He huffed a sigh, clearly exaggerated. "Did he leave to go hang out with my mom again?"

"Most likely, yes." Huntsman nodded. "He likes seeing the courtiers react. And the Queen feeds him well."

Henry reached for his hand as he began leading the way to the Stables. "You know," He began, tugging lightly on the Huntman's hand. "You can call her Emma. She won't mind."

The Huntsman pulled Henry back slightly, so that the boy faced him. He crouched slightly to look Henry in the eye. "Maybe I'm just waiting for a name of my own for her to use in return. It wouldn't be fair, if I could call her by name and she had to keep with a title."

Henry beamed. "Deal."

* * *

The Huntsman regretted this deal, several hours later. The light was fast fading from the sky, and the library was lit by a fireplace and several magic lamps. Henry was flipping through books, scrolls, anything he could get his little hands on.

"Humbert? No. Aleksandru? Sounds like a prison sentence. Yarrow? Sounds familiar. What's yarrow?"

"It's a plant." The Huntsman told him. He would have tried to tell Henry more- but previous experiences in trying to distract Henry from his quest had proven fruitless. The lad was determined not to leave the library until 'Mister Huntsman' had a first name to go with his last. Or until he passed out on one of the books, that was a possibility too.

The Huntsman decided to try one last tactic. "Henry, why don't we have a break? I've got a few questions for you."

Surprisingly, that worked. Henry put the book to one side with care and looked up, rubbing his bleary eyes. "Like what?"

"Well." The Huntsman began, groping for a decent question to ask that would hopefully distract Henry long enough for their break to last as long as possible. "Your mother mentioned the Kingdom she grew up in didn't have forests like ours. Do you remember it?"

Henry shook his head. "No, it wasn't a Kingdom. It was another realm. There wasn't any magic there except for me and mom. I'd just been born when we fell through. I mean, I'd _literally j_ust been born, and a portal opened in the floor and sucked us both in."

"Really?" The Huntsman said, raising his brow.

Henry nodded seriously. "Really. Mom found herself in the middle of nowhere with nothing except the clothes on her back and a baby and a blanket in her arms. We're really lucky she worked out she had magic, otherwise we would have both died. After that, she hung around the ice palace, working out how her powers worked and the limits. We were there until I started walking, when mom decided to try and find someone else, because someone had to have built that palace, right? That's how she found Arendelle."

"And ended the Great Winter?" The Huntsman asked.

"That was mostly an accident. But yeah, basically that's it." Henry agreed. "I'm lucky it happened, otherwise I wouldn't have Mom. She was going to give me up you know."

That, the Huntsman didn't know.

"I wasn't in a position to raise a child." The Queen's voice broke in. "So I was going to give him to someone who wanted a child to raise as their own. I wanted him to have his best chance."

Both of their heads snapped to the doorway where she stood, holding a box in her hand. A familiar box.

"Mom!" Henry called in surprise.

The Huntsman swallowed, hard. "Is that…?"

"Your heart." Emma nodded. "It was difficult to get through the spells on the lid, but we've finally managed. I brought it here as fast as I could."

The Huntsman was aware of his head nodding, but couldn't speak. His throat seized and his eyes blurred, focused as they were on that seemingly innocuous box.

Emma walked forward to where the Huntsman and the almost-Princeling sat, opening the lid of the box as she handed it to him.

"I think we should move to the lounger before we put it back in." She said quietly, moving her hands to clasp his forearms. It helped ease the shaking, so he nodded to her suggestion. She released one of his arms and put her hand on his back, gently guiding him out of his seat and onto the lounger.

"How do I…?" He started. "Just, shove it in?"

She squeezed the forearm she still held, nodding. "Just press it where it should be. It'll go back easily. Do you want us to leave?"

There was an enquiring whine. Blinking the tears away, the Huntsman looked up. His brother stood next to the white-clad queen, and Henry hovered behind them, biting his lip.

He shook his head, reaching out. "No. Please stay. All of you."

At some silent agreement between the three, he found himself pushed back so that he was reclining on the lounge, with Emma and Henry on either side, each with a hand on his upper arm, and his brother lower down on his left, his head resting intently on the human's thigh.

Taking a deep shaky breath, he met their eyes once more- and then took the glowing red heart out of the box, letting it fall away to the side once it had been relieved of its treasure. Slowly, he brought his hand to the centre of his chest- and then pushed.

The heart slipped in far easier than he'd thought it would, all those years without it. It was what came with it that hit him hard. All those years of dulled emotions, the constant despair he could feel lurking at the edge of his mind came rushing through him, memories flashing as his _anger, hate, self-loathing, desperation_- there seemed no end to the tide.

But then there came new emotions- _awe_ at an arm entwined with his, _amusement_ at a parting comment tossed over a shoulder, _hope_ at the sight of those soldiers storming through the Dark Palace, and _joy_ at the taste of freedom.

Wariness as they gave him a room in the castle- was this simply another cage? But he had his family here, what was left of them. And Kristoff had shown him the quickest route to the woods, which while different from the ones he'd spent most of his life in, were comfortable. Kristoff had even shown him the Ice Harvester's cottages, in case a bad storm blew up unexpectedly and everyone needed to get to shelter quickly.

"Anna's idea." The ice-harvester had told him, an utterly besotted look on his face as he mentioned his wife. "It's been working pretty well as a place to stay for the workers at night as well, so they don't have to hurry up and down the mountains between dawn and dusk. It's for anyone caught on the Mountain, so don't be shy about barging in. Wolf too."

He'd have never been permitted to enter such a shelter before, storm or no storm.

_Fondness. Joy. Camaraderie? And the faintest flutter of hope, growing stronger._

Henry's adventures, the boy looking up at him with gleaming eyes and a grin. The everyday greeting of 'Mister Huntsman', and the search to find him a name to use. Belle, slowly coming out of her shell as she got used to people seeking her out for help, occasionally singing as she dusted the shelves. Anna as she almost caused a dozen minor disasters racing through the hallways, undoubtedly late or else seized by a brilliant idea that simply couldn't wait. Elsa's soft laugh as she watched the children play in Summer snow, Henry teaching the younger children to make Snowmen. The Snowman Olaf, complaining that Sven the moose had tried to eat his nose again.

And Emma Swanwhite- as beautiful as the day she'd rescued them, but far less mysterious. The constant updates on the boxes, as well as the other refuges, delivered to him throughout the day. The way she rubbed at her neck after a long day, aching from the crown. The smile she bestowed when she saw him and Henry together, and the mischievous grin as she related how her day with his brother went.

Was this…. _Happiness_? _Belonging_?

He came to himself, gasping. Emma and Henry's hands clutched at him, keeping him down on the lounge. His brother had settled on his legs.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked, face pale.

The Huntsman nodded between breaths, his lungs aching for air as if he'd been chased.

"It can be difficult, getting your heart back." Emma explained to Henry, one hand leaving the Huntsman's shoulder to stroke his hair gently. "Everyone's different, but the longer it's been out, the harder it is to adjust. It's why we moved to the lounge, I didn't want Huntsman to get hurt."

The Huntsman leaned into the gentle touch, his breathing starting to slow. He thought…

_This is what Home feels like._

And succumbed to sleep, surrounded by people he cared for and who cared for him in turn.

* * *

The Next Day

"I think we're going about this all wrong Henry." The Huntsman said earnestly, one hand absently stroking the wolf half on his lap. This time, they were both on the bed in the Huntsman's appointed quarters.

Emma, a fairly skilled healer(-in-training she insisted), had asked him to take it easy and not leave his room until after lunch, and to take it easy for a few days. With the revelations he'd had upon the restoration of his heart, he'd been happy to agree.

Thankfully, Henry had decided to keep him company. Or been appointed to keep an eye on him, either way he was there and they were continuing their search for a name.

"You think?" Henry was curious.

The Huntsman nodded. "We've just been looking for names. Any names really, that will hopefully fit on me. But we should be looking for a name that we feel fits."

Henry nodded dubiously at this.

"So, maybe rather than just looking for names, we could look for the meaning of names?" The Huntsman continued.

This time, Henry's nod was more certain. "Okay. What sort of meaning do you want?"

He waited, expecting something cool like Wolf, or Wood, or Forest- the world the Huntsman knew and loved from before.

Instead, the Huntsman smiled shyly. "Perhaps something to do with home? A new name for a new place and all."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Emma announced from the door. She held a tray of food in her hands, with two maids behind her. One was full of raw meat, the other fit for a growing boy.

Emma ignored the bright blush on the Huntsman's face as the meals were settled, but didn't bother to hide her own pleased smile from him.

"You should ask Belle to help you, school still hasn't officially started up again and it'd be a good challenge for her. I don't think there were any baby name books in this realm before the one I wrote." She advised them.

"You wrote a book Mom?" Henry asked, looking up from his food.

Emma smoothed the bedcovers as she answered. "It was while we were in the Ice Palace and I was trying to decide your name. I couldn't keep calling you Baby, you were growing too fast. So I wrote down all the names and meanings I remembered from our realm."

She frowned, considering. "I think Elsa put it to the scholar group that was double checking how everything had changed, to see if they could find the names I'd written in this world. Not sure what happened to it after that."

The dark maid spoke then, even as her colleague walked out. "It was updated and published, your majesty. Lady Enrica thought it was a fantastic idea and commissioned it herself, with as many additional names as she and her scholars could think of."

She shot a sly look at Henry. "Your copy after all, was sadly lacking in girls names."

She curtseyed and left, Emma following with a cheerful "Good Luck!" tossed behind her.

The two humans left behind exchanged grins, and dug into their lunch.

* * *

"Your majesty." Her pagegirl whispered, passing her a slip of paper. "A note from the Huntsman."

She nodded her thanks, even as she listened to the debate between her advisors on who to send to Snow White's Wedding.

When she had a brief moment, when Lady Enrica and her husband butted heads over the practicality of sending one of their Queen's versus the dramatic impact of sending Queen Swanwhite, she looked down at a dark cursive- what most in this realm would think of as an untidy scrawl. And she smiled, a true, joyful smile that lit up the room- or would have, if the room hadn't been distracted by Enrica and Ragnar.

Throughout the meeting, which was eventually adjourned to be continued the next day, she kept sneaking glances at that little, precious slip of paper, rereading the message as often as she dared.

**_Graham Huntsman of Arendelle._**


	3. Ending 1

AN- I'm not quite happy with this chapter. I only really planned on a brief confrontation during the wedding, but then stuff happened and this chapter feels a bit weak. I did promise to finish this though- so maybe I'll post an alternate ending later, once I've had some time to figure out when this one went so badly wrong.

* * *

Eventually, a decision had been reached- a particular stroke of genius by one of the younger members of the Council, Allessa. One of the school's older students, Allessa was prone to bouts of Claircognizance. To put it simply, sometimes she just knew things.

"We can't send anyone but a Queen or we send insult. This wedding will be too large, the guests too highly ranked and everything too closely scrutinized to do otherwise." She announced into the Council Chambers. "Everyone who can reasonably do so wants to see the Rebel Prince and the Bandit Princess wed. If we send a lesser noble, we send the message that our Monarch is uninterested in the affairs of other kingdoms. The lowest rank we could reasonably send is a Prince or Princess, but as far as the other Kingdom's are concerned, we don't have any."

Elsa nodded from her throne. "Which rules me out as well. Swanwhite is the only Queen they know of."

Emma sighed. "This means dancing lessons, doesn't it?"

She was a good dancer, giving time to practice. But with so many demands on her time, she hated adding another one.

"And for your escort, Milady." Allessa added. "I believe there's someone with questions to ask the new couple."

And that was how Emma Swan, formerly an orphan thief and now Queen Swanwhite, White Witch of Arendelle and Countess of the Palace Mountain, found herself inviting Graham Huntsman to the royal wedding of the century.

"Me?" He'd asked, blinking. "Truly?"

She smiled, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. "I seem to remember you wanted to ask some questions?"

His expression hardened for a brief moment. "That's true. But is a wedding really the time and place?"

Emma sat on the bench next to him, staring out at the garden. She could just make out Kristoff's shortcut to the woods. "Generally for affairs like this, guests arrive in the city a few days before, and settle in as honoured guests. I'll try to make it so we're there as short a time as possible, give an excuse about still cleaning up Regina's mess. We'll be gone a week, ten days at most if the weather is bad."

Graham's lips quirked. "We'll?" He repeated. "You seem pretty certain I'm going with you, your majesty."

"Sorry." Emma blushed. "I didn't mean it that way. I just thought, since I'm going that you would like to go with me and get your answers?"

"Is that the only reason?" Graham asked, still smiling at her.

Her blush betrayed her by darkening. His smile softened, and he reached for her hand.

"I'm not sure how to behave at a ball as a guest, but I will gladly go with you your majesty." He promised.

Emma grinned at him. "Great. That's great. Uhm, how do you feel about dancing lessons?"

He grinned right back. "That depends. Will those lessons be with you?"

"Those lessons will be for me too." She admitted. "I keep forgetting the steps."

He laughed, and Emma delighted in the sound.

* * *

Two weeks later, their carriage drew up in front of the Summer Palace. Graham scowled at it, even as he fidgeted with his sleeves.

Emma reached out to stop him, clasping his hand in hers once again. "You look fine." She assured him.

He huffed- a mix of amusement and disbelief. "I thought the leathers were bad until I tried this. How do nobles do this every day?"

"Must be used to it I guess." Emma sighed, checking her reflection in the mirror before she covered it again. Graham had warned them about the genie's reach.

"Alright." She said, settling herself into the role of Swanwhite. "Let's go get this over with."

Graham stepped out first, and held out his arm for her. She took it with a genteel smile, and they stepped towards the castle.

"Who're you?" One of the Guards asked, a hand near his sword.

Emma valiantly resisted the urge to raise a brow at his hostility. "Swanwhite, Queen of Arendelle." She said, curtly. "Is there a problem?"

There was an exchange between the Guards, consisting of speaking looks and head gestures. Thankfully, it was a short discussion.

Unfortunately, the Guard ignored the Queen's question. "Hilft! Escort the Guests to the throne room!"

Emma and Graham exchanged a look of their own. Either the royal couple were expecting trouble, or they hadn't gotten their household in order. The Guard could have been ordering 'Hilft' to take them to the Dungeon's by his tone.

Still, they followed the silent guard without complaint. It didn't take long to get to their destination, at the swift pace their guide set. Emma had been grateful for Graham's hand on her arm, she would have had to call the guard back otherwise. Her Swanwhite dress, while beautiful, was unsuited for more than a sedate walk.

A woman in a white coat was in discussion with another woman in a red cloak when Hilft lead them in, announcing that the Queen had guests.

The woman with black hair turned to them, a welcoming smile ready- but then her eyes froze on Swanwhite's companion.

Emma politely pretended not to notice her horror, and lead Graham in a bow. "Queen Snow White." She greeted, even as she rose. "It was an honour to receive your invitation. We apologise for our delay in replying."

The woman in red reached for her cloak, even as Snow finally managed to speak.

"Huntsman?" She whispered incredulously, eyes wide with shock. "How are you…?" She trailed off. "Guards!"

Hilft and another armoured man appeared, swords drawn. Emma looked at them for a long moment, then back to Snow White.

_Go on. I dare you. _She thought, thinking on how she would incapacitate the guards.

"Take them to the Dungeon. We'll deal with them later." Snow ordered, glaring at her guests.

_Thank you. _Emma thought, raising her hands. The Guards went flying into a tumble on the ground.

"A strange way to greet your guests, your majesty." She noted, readying a ball of light in her hand. It would hopefully make the woman in red reconsider whatever she was thinking of doing. "Has Arendelle offended you in some way?"

More guards came in, followed by a crowd of curious onlookers.

"What is the meaning of this?" A blond man questioned, hurrying to Snow's side. Prince Charming himself.

"Regina sent guests." Snow said, not taking her eyes off the couple.

Emma's initial reaction was to roll her eyes- but she resisted. Instead, she drew herself up and frowned sternly at Snow White. "You sent the invitation. I apologise for accepting. May we take our leave?"

Charming frowned. "What invitation?" He asked, looking between the two queens. He balked as his eyes landed on the second stranger. "Huntsman?"

Graham nodded back, lowering his sword slightly from its ready position. "Prince James. Good to see my sacrifice wasn't completely in vain."

"Well uh, I guess it wasn't." Charming stammered. "How are you…?"

"Free?" Graham prompted, still keeping an eye on the guards. "The Queen Swanwhite decided Regina had too many things that didn't belong to her."

Emma waved at the Prince. "Hello. I'm Swanwhite. Not that anyone seems to be paying attention to me today. Are you always so inhospitable to your guests, or are we the exception?"

Snow reached for her husband's sword, snarling. "You are not a guest!"

Emma dismissed the sword with a wave of her hand. "Apparently not. Graham?"

"I don't think they want us here your majesty." He said ruefully. "And I think it's a good thing we didn't unpack at the Guesthouse."

"Wait, hold on a second here." Charming interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

Emma decided to answer- he hadn't directed his question to anyone in particular afterall. "Well, after this warm welcome I simply couldn't stay. My Council would never let me hear the end of it."

"Your council?" He questioned.

Emma's sigh was audible to even the furthest of their onlookers. "Yes. The Royal Council of Arendelle, who advise me, Queen Swanwhite of Arendelle. This is the third time I've introduced myself in the past five minutes, and I would appreciate someone bothering to remember it."

A murmur spread through the crowd behind the guards. They were attracting a lot of attention.

Emma's lips twitched. This hadn't been what she planned, but it would probably prove more entertaining. "Since we won't be staying for the wedding," she began, her tone saying the '_obviously'_ she wasn't allowed to put into words, "then we shall move to our second order of business."

"No need, your majesty." Graham said. "I think I have my answer."

"Oh?" She said.

"It wasn't that Regina's freedom was more important than ours. It was that they didn't consider us at all. They just didn't want her blood on their hands, no matter how much blood she had on hers." Graham said. "No matter how much they regret that now, when she can threaten them again."

"You think she's threatened them?" Emma queried, readying a familiar teleportation spell.

"No other reasons for the Guards to be so on edge." Graham answered, moving closer to her. "Let's go home. I hate this bloody place."

Emma nodded. "Given your captivity here, I can see why. Farewell your majesties, may you have a blesséd marriage and a glorious rule, we gave your gift to the guards. Keep it."

And with that, white smoke flashed over the Queen and the Huntsman- and they were gone.

They landed in front of the Arendelle Palace, where Allessa sat on the front steps. Emma stepped out of their carriage, glaring at the girl through her mask.

She stood and curtseyed. "Good morning your majesty. Your handmaiden's are waiting for you in your room. The footmen will take your luggage from the carriage, and the cooks know to expect you both for lunch. How much trouble am I in?"

Emma snorted, reaching up to remove her mask. "That depends. What were the benefits of this?"

"Drama. Avoiding the wedding. Getting answers for our Huntsman." Allessa listed off on her fingers. "And protecting our Kingdom from the curse."

Graham frowned. "What curse?"

"Regina's curse." Allessa answered. "I'll explain all I know to the council tonight, but first…" She reached into the air and plucked two tiny lights from near the couple. "I need to get these to the potion room."

Emma sighed after the dark girl departed, her hair swinging like a banner behind her. "Regina's revenge on Snow White. She's going to make everyone forget their happy ending, and freeze them in time in another realm. My realm."

"The place you came from?" Graham clarified. Emma nodded, taking his hand as she began to walk up the stairs.

"Those left behind will be frozen in time as well, although we won't forget at least." She told him. "I'll have to warn my subjects against getting pregnant next year though- twenty eight years is a long time to carry a child."

Graham squeezed her hand, drawing her towards him as he'd once done to Henry. They were in a quiet, secluded hallway that was also the shortest way from the entrance to the Royal Wing. There was no one in sight.

"Thank you for inviting me." He said, eyes meeting hers.

She smiled up at him, earnest and hopeful. "It wasn't my idea- but I'm glad I did."

Hope beating in his chest, he leaned forward. She met him halfway, happily and eagerly.

It wasn't their happy ending- not yet. But maybe it was the beginning of one.


End file.
